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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - City Council - 04/05/1990PUBLIC HEARING - 1990-1991 BUDGET 5 APRIL 1990 A public hearing on the 1990-1991 City and School District Budget was held on Thursday, 5 April 1990, at 7:30 p.m, in the Conference Room, City Hall, 575 Dorset Street. City Council Members Present Michael Flaherty, John Dinklage, James Condos, William Cimonetti School Board Members Present Theodore Manazir, Julie Duppstadt, Dennis Snyder, Barbara LeWinter Also Present Charles Hafter, City Manager; Frederick Tuttle, Superintendent of Schools; Margaret Picard, City Clerk/Treasurer; Brian Searles, Police Dept; Don Whitten, Water Pollution Control Dept; Bruce O'Neill, Recreation Dept; James Goddette, Fire Dept; Leo Brown, School District; William Rider, City Auditor; Sid Poger, The Othe Paper; Laurie Copans, Vanguard Press; Chris Cavin, Jill Coffrin, Tom Chittenden, Bruce Ladeoux, Jim Washburn, Pete Crevier, Ernie Nolette, Jim Leddy 1. City Budget Mr. Hafter presented the 1990-1991 City Budget. The Grand List shows a 5% increase to $6,693,750. The operating budget shows a 5% tax rate increase to .615. The maximum operating budget is $4,972,495 with the maximum amount to be raised by taxes for the operating budget $4,116,656. There are 5 new positions being funded in the city. Two are in the Fire Dept. to man the new Shelburne Rd. Fire Station. A Planning technician is being hired to enforce ordinances and to provide follow-through on site plan reviews. There will be a person added for the new Parks Maintenance Division. One Police officer, a narcotics control detective, will also be hired. It is hoped that this last position will be 75% federally funded, although the city budget does include total funding. Mr. Hafter provided a handout showing the distribution of tax dollars and the cumulative percentage of tax increases for S. Burlington and other nearby communities. South Burlington showed a lower percentage increase than Shelburne, Colchester, Williston, Essex Junction or Essex Town. In the list of "effective tax rates", South Burlington falls in the middle. Bonded debt payments included in the overall tax rate include: Fire Station, highway, parkland acquisition, and bike path bonds. Mr. Leddy complained that the budget book is unintelligible to the average citizen. There are too many numbers and too little explanation. Mr. Hafter said he is in the process of putting together a citizens' group to work on redoing the form of the budget. Mr. Leddy said he would like to see a narrative summary by department. Mr. Cimonetti suggested Mr. Leddy come to the budget hearings and become part of the process. Mr. Flaherty noted there will be two ballot items: a $400,000 bond issue for the Recreation Path and a $300,000 bond issue for roads. The roads included will be listed on the ballot and are roads that need immediate attention. Mr. Washburn noted 24% of the budget is for the Police Dept. and felt this was excessive for a community the size of S. Burlington. 2. School District Budget Mr. Tuttle presented the budget for the School District. The same grand list figure was used in computing operating budget and tax rate. The allowable operating budget tax rate is 1.927. The allowable to be raised in taxes for the operating budget is $12,898,856 and the allowable operating budget total is $13,764,697. Mr. Tuttle noted the budget is up 8.99%. He also noted that the School District is faced with a shortfall in State aid for the current year and that this will have to be made up. Mr. Tuttle then provided some general information about the School District. Projected enrollment for next year is 2,077 which is an increase of 38 at the elementary school and a decrease of 25 at the High school. The Middle School remains the same. He felt there would be an increase in enrollment throughout the district in 1992-93. Negotiations are in process with the teachers. It is hoped that a formal negotiator will not be needed. Administrators will be in the final year of a 3-year contract. Negotiations are also going on with support staff which is non-union. The starting salary this year for a teach with a BA and no experience is $22,850. The maximum salary (for a teacher with an MA+60 or a PhD and 12 years experience) is $45,700. The average salary in the District is $39,626. There are currently 79 tuition students in the District, 74 at the High School, 3 at the Middle School, 2 at the Elementary Schools. 62 of these are funded by the communities which have no high schools. 17 parents pay tuition for their children. It is projected there will be 75 tuition students next year. Mr. Tuttle noted the District gets more income from tuition students than it does from State aid. Tuition rates for 1990-91 are: $4200 for Kindergarten, $5300 for grades 1-6, and $5600 for grades 7-12. The pupil teacher ratio in the district is just under 19 to 1. Significant items in the budget include: the addition of 2 elementary teachers, one at Orchard School, one at Chamberlin; the addition of Spanish 5 at the High School (without added personnel); funding for sabbaticals ($56,676 --- Mr. Tuttle noted there had been no sabbaticals this past year as part of an agreement with the teachers union); an increase in Special Ed tuition for students placed out of the district; a reduction in the substitute teacher account; funding for a pilot alternative school program for high school students at risk ($50,000) which will be staffed by a professional and an aide; $50,000 for computer hardware and software to replace typewriters in the high school program; conversion of oil burners to natural gas at Central School; $38,000 to replace a large bus; funding for Phase III of the Community Library computer. In the public school approval process, the Middle School was done last year, the elementary schools were completed last week, and the high school is scheduled for Spring, 1991. A committee has been formed to review school facilities, especially on the elementary level. It is clear that in the next few years there will be a need for facilities, especially at that level. There is one ballot item for the School District, $360,000 for a roofing/energy conservation package including re-roofing at parts of Central School, Chamberlin, Orchard, and the Middle School. Mr. Washburn raised the question of the percentage of salaries in the budget. Mr. Tuttle said total salaries and benefits are 89% of the budget. Teachers' salaries and benefits are 62%. He noted there will be a 20% increase in medical insurance next year, 15% for dental insurance and 25% for worker's compensation. He noted that area school officials have been meeting to explore insurance alternatives. Mr. Washburn suggested an effort to control medical insurance costs. Mr. Crevier said that he had done some calculating and noted that 15 of the 24 categories were overspent with the 9 remaining at or below budget. Of those under budget, only $12,716 was saved by "thrift." He disapproved of using contingency items to balance the budget. He also noted that 20 of the 24 categories were higher this year, some in excess of their "overspent" figures for this year. He felt accountability was terrible. Mr. Crevier said at the current rate of increase, the school budget will be $20,000,000 to $22,000,000 by 1995, with yearly increases of $2,000,000. He said the tax burden is going sky high, and more people are saying the Charter should be changed to get rid of the automatic 10% increase. He suggested a different operating budget limit with a 1% reduction per year until it gets down to only a 5% increase. Regarding the use of contingency dollars, Mr. Tuttle said in a year when there are negotiations with teachers, a contingency amount is established. When a settlement is made, the money goes to the appropriate department it has been reserved for. Mr. Chittenden noted that wages in the area are not increasing at the rate of teachers' salaries. Mr. Leddy felt there is a quality school system with good teachers and that kids are getting a quality education, but he also felt affordability had to be looked at. Mr. Tuttle praised the support of the community and noted that support is more than financial. 3. Requests for Extensions on Compensation Hearings Both 100 Dorset Street and The Willows have requested extensions. 100 Dorset St. already had an extension to 4/3 but now wants till 4/16 to get a full appraisal. The Willows has asked for an extension till 4/13 to get an appraisal. Mr. Hafter felt there would be no impact on the city. Mr. Cimonetti said the only issue he saw was fairness but he didn't see anyone adversely affected. He felt it served no good to deny the requests and then to wind up in litigation. Mr. Cimonetti moved to grant the extension requests of 100 Dorset Street and The Willows as requested. Mr. Condos seconded. Motion passed unanimously. 4. Executive Session Mr. Condos moved the Council meet in Executive Session to discuss Dorset Street litigation and to resume regular session only to adjourn. Mr. Cimonetti seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Regular Session The Council returned to regular session. Mr. Dinklage moved to adjourn, Mr. Cimonetti seconded. The Council adjourned at 9:00 p.m. Clerk Published by ClerkBase ©2019 by Clerkbase. No Claim to Original Government Works.